Method of and means for identifying brands of liquid hydrocarbons



METOD OF awn i It George L. mm Brooklyn, N. W.

No lilirag.

My invention relates to a method for identifying brands of commercialliquid hydrocarbons, such asgasoline, kerosene, lubricating oils andsimilar hydrocarbons used for technical purposes,

a and it particularly relates to a method by which certain chemicalcompositions, when added, for instance, to gasoline, are afterwardsacted upon by other chemicals or reagents and yield. a certain color,and more particularly a certain definite shade of said color, the objectoi the invention being to provide means by which it can be establishedwhether or not a certain brand of gasoline has been tammred with byadding thereto cheaper gasoline, or by substituting it entirely by othersimilar liquids, such as kerosene, as may be done under the pressure ofthemarlret conditions to obtain a higher and. mostly always illegitimateprofit. Such fraud is practiced, for for instance, incases where alease-holder of a gasoline filling station is under contract to sell inhis gas-station exclusively one particular brand of gasoline. In casethe market is high for gasoline, the operators of such stations oftenadd a cheaper kind of gasoline to the one they have contracted for, orrun the station with kerosene in order to reap a higher profit.

It is another object of the invention to provide such means, asdescribed above, which will allow to produce the color test always underthe some absolutely reliable conditions so that unfailingly a certaindefinite shade will be produced and misunderstandings, which might leadto wrong accusations, are excluded;

It is a further object of the invention to provide such means, asdescribed above, which will allow the embodiment of said means into thegasoline under such conditions that if the party, who is to becontrolled by such means, should incidentally learn of the nature ofsuch means, he can never know exactly enough the nature of the same andwill never be able to compound the means and to embody suchself-compounded means into illegitimately mixed or substituted gasolinein such a manner as to produce the particular shade of color to whichthe legitimate gasoline is adjusted in relation with the reagent.

I am aware that at present the oil refineries usually color the gasolinewith various colors, for

ilpplicatioim Jew 211, 103%, serial No. create cion on the one side orcreating suspicion. and hard feelings on the side to be controlled.

I have found thatI can accomplish the objects in view by compoundingcolors, which distribute or dissolve in gasoline, with small quantitiesof a control color or dyestufi, or other substances, which alsodistribute or dissolve in, or suspend in, or mix with gasoline, which,when dissolved in, or suspended in, or mixed with gasoline, will give awell pronounced color reaction with other chemicals, such as an alkalimetal-hydroxide, ammonia, certain allrali, metal salts, such aspotassium or sodium nitrite, or nitrate, or rhodanate, etc., even whenboth components, which enter into the color reaction are present only inan enor-- mous degree of dilution. These other chemicals are preferablyapplied in the form of their solutions, preferably their aqueous, or anyother solution made with a solvent immiscible with gasoline, or anyother hydrocarbon coming into consideration for the purposes of thisinvention.

For the purpose of illustrating how I may proceed in operating myinvention, I am. setting forth below a few examples.

Example I To prove, for instance, thata gasoline of orange color, havinga reddish tint, is identical with the brand of a better grade ofgasoline, which on the ground of a contract or lease should be on saleat a certain gas station, I prepare a mixture of certain dyestuffssuitable to yield the particular desired orange-red shade and mixthereto a certain amount of Alizarine paste, dry, (Color Index Number1027) which dissolves in the gasoline with the other colors and thus isnot noticeable at all to an observer uninformed of its presence. I foundthat according to my present experience a highly satisfactory result isobtained, if I thoroughly mix, for instance, 85-80 parts, by weight, ofOil Orange, concentrated, (Color Index Number 258) 10-8 parts, byweight, of Oil Red 313, or Oil Red 0. (Color Index Number 248) -12 partsby weight, of Alizarine paste, dry, (Color Index Number 1027) and add tothis mixture one pound to each 5000 gallons of gasoline before the sameis delivered. When the mixture has dissolved, the gasoline thereuponshows an orange-reddish color. If I take then later on at a gas-fillingstation an adequate sample,-for instance, 35 cc. of this orange-redgasoline as one completed composition and add to the same a quantity ofa second composition, for instance an aqueous solution containing sodiumhydroxide, of any desired concentration, for instance 4 cc. of a 40%NaOH solution, I obtain a distinctly and clearly noticeable lavendercolor at the bottom of the sample.

The amount of Alizarine paste, dry in the 35 cc. of orange-red gasolineand the amount of caustic soda in the 4 cc. of the 40% NaOH solution isalways so exactly the same, that the shade of lavender is always thesame under all conditions. If the exact amount of both ingredientsentering into the coloring reaction, or at least of one of the saidingredients, for instance the volume and concentration of the causticsoda solution is withheld from the party to be controlled, then inignorance of the particular concentrations on which the test is based,it will be next to impossible for him to imitate the critical shade.

Instead of the dyestuffs mentioned in above example for the purpose ofgiving the gasoline a color, any other dyestufl' may be applied giving aparticular desired color and the admixture to this dyestufi must, ofcourse, be such to give later on with the reagent, for instance, sodiumhydroxide, a color which is in contrast with the color the gasolinedyesturl' will produce.

How my new invention may be varied, is, for instance, shown by the nextexample.

Example 11 I produce a mixture of 95 parts, by weight, oi Oil Red 313,or Oil Red 0. (Color Index Number 248) 5 parts, by weight, offluoresceine, (Color Index Number 766) and add to this mixture one poundto 5000 gallons of gasoline. Upon dissolving, this mixture colors thegasoline with the standard shade of red. It I then take 35 cc. oi. thethus colored gasoline and add to it 4 cc. of an aqueous solutioncontaining 40% sodium hydroxide, an iridescent green-yellowish shade isobtained at the bottom of the solution.

Instead of the oil soluble colors mentioned in the foregoing examples, Imay also use Oil Orange G, (Color Index Number 24) Oil Scarlet, (ColorIndex No. '73) or any other oil soluble color known to produce anydesired color or shade; and

as far as the admixed coloring substance is concerned, I am notrestricted to organic dyestuffs, but can also resort to inorganicsubstances, such as iron chloride, which, when present in the gasolineand tested with an aqueous solution of potassium rhodanate, even in animmense dilution, gives a blood-red color. However, organic preparationsare generally more suitable for the purposes of my invention, as withinorganic compounds the danger arises that they may segregate out of thegasoline and may clog the pipes of the measuring devices of the sellingstation.

Besides water as a medium or solvent, incompatible with thehydrocarbons, carrying the reagent, I may also apply any other solventof sodium hydroxide and of the other substances, acting as reagents,which do not dissolve in or mix with the hydrocarbons to be tested; soglycerol is a very convenient medium for the purposes ot my invention. 4

Whenever I speak in the appending claims that the substances, added tothe gasoline or other commercial hydrocarbons, give (or color") the samea desired color, I mean to include in said term "give" or color" alsothat they leave the hydrocarbons in a desired color, for instance,gasoline in its natural, water-like color.

What I claim is: l

1. The composition of matter for testing the identity of commercialhydrocarbons, consisting of a mixture of Oil Orange concentrated, OilRed 33, and Alizarine paste dry, said mixture being dissolved in thehydrocarbon with an orange-red color, one ingredient of said mixturegiving with sodium hydroxide solution a lavender color in the aqueoussolution.

2. The composition of matter for testing the identity or commercialhydrocarbons, consisting of a mixture of Parts Oil Orange concentrated85-80 Oil Red 33 8 Alizarine paste dry 5-12 all parts being by weight,said mixture being dissolved in the hydrocarbon with an orange-redcolor, one ingredient of said mixture giving with sodium-hydroxidesolution a lavender color in the aqueous solution.

3. The composition of matter for testing the identity of hydrocarbons,consisting of Oil Red 3B, and fluoresceine, coloring the hydrocarbon redand yielding with an aqueous alkali metal hydroxide solution agreen-yellowish color.

4. The composition of matter for testing the identity oi! hydrocarbons,as described by claim 3, consisting of 95 parts oi! 011 Red 313, and 5parts of fluoresceine.

GEORGE L. ARMOUR.

